Sr Active Defense Engineer

Workday, Inc.; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 239,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday, Inc. is seeking an experienced security professional to join the Active Defense team in Reston, VA. You will engage with cross-functional teams to understand threat landscapes, conduct threat hunting, and perform offensive security exercises to identify vulnerabilities.

The role focuses on testing detection coverage, gap analysis, and enhancing alerting logic. You will contribute to adaptive, AI-enabled detection and response capabilities while collaborating with data science and

Qualifications

• 8+ years in incident response, intelligence analysis, vulnerability assessment, security engineering or operations.
• Experience researching cybersecurity threats and creating security solutions.
• Experience using AI-based discovery tools to mimic adversary capabilities.
• Proficiency in a general-purpose language such as Python, Java, Kotlin, Scala, or JavaScript.

Responsibilities

• Test detection coverage and perform gap analysis.
• Develop and refine alerting logic for security events.
• Help build adaptive and AI-assisted detection and response capabilities.

Skills

8+ years in incident response

Threat intelligence analysis

Vulnerability assessment

Security operations

Tools

Splunk

Spark

Python

AI tools

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

Our Active Defense team is a group of highly skilled and dedicated professionals who are passionate about protecting our organization from cyber threats. We source, evaluate, and analyze both internal and external data, providing critical insight to a variety of security and business teams. We use emerging and relevant intelligence to test our defenses rapidly. We perform detailed analysis while meeting the challenge to scale to the business's needs. We are a core function of the overall Cyber Defense organization at Workday that helps keep the company and its customer data safe every day. Our team members have a strong background in cybersecurity, data analysis, AI and machine learning, offensive security and detection engineering. We use innovative tools and technologies to analyze and visualize data, including Splunk, Spark, Python, and AI-assisted analysis and automation tools. We value teamwork and collaborate closely with other security teams to ensure that our organization stays ahead of emerging cyber threats.

About the Role

As a member of the Active Defense team, you will get an opportunity to collaborate with a large cross-section of teams across Workday to understand the threat landscape, execute threat hunting and offensive security exercises and discover potential vulnerabilities. You will test detection coverage, perform gap analysis and then use this information to develop and refine alerting logic. You will also help develop adaptive and AI-assisted detection and response capabilities.

About You

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of proven abilities in one or more of: incident response, intelligence analysis, vulnerability assessment, security engineering or security operations
• Experience researching cybersecurity threats and creating security solutions
• Experience using AI-based discovery and exploit creation tools to mimic adversary capabilities.
• Experience in a general-purpose programming language like Python, Java, Kotlin, Scala, or JavaScript

Other Qualifications

• Experience responding to cybersecurity incidents and helping to mitigate threats
• Experience executing red team engagements and bypassing security controls
• Experience reverse engineering malware, suspicious code and vulnerabilities
• Experience developing or applying agents, automation, or workflow orchestration to create or improve detection and response workflows
• Enthusiastic about new emerging topics in security/intelligence, data science and/or machine learning
• Dedication to maintain domain proficiency and a professional network with our partners and other interest groups
• Strong communication skills and an ability to present technical information to a non-technical audience

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits. Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston Primary Location Base Pay Range: $159,600 USD - $239,400 USD Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $144,400 USD - $258,000 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. At Workday, we are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring experience where all candidates can fully demonstrate their skills. If you require assistance or an accommodation at any point, please email [e-mail].

At Workday, we value our candidates’ privacy and data security. Workday will never ask candidates to apply to jobs through websites that are not Workday Careers. Please be aware of sites that may ask for you to input your data in connection with a job posting that appears to be from Workday but is not. In addition, Workday will never ask candidates to pay a recruiting fee, or pay for consulting or coaching services, in order to apply for a job at Workday.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Workday is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Further, pursuant to applicable local ordinances, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We do not accept resumes from headhunters, placement agencies, or other suppliers that have not signed a formal agreement with us.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, disabled veterans, and others during our application process.

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability or for religious reasons, contact us at [e-mail].